Oyra
Oyra, officially the Kingdom of Oyra, is an Inistaran country consisting of a the north region of the Inistaran Peninsula delimited by the Leonis Mountain Range bordered by the Iolian Sea to the east, and the Sea of Corelia to the west. Oyra is located in southwest Valeria. The country covers a total area of 808,271 km2 (502,200 sq mi) and shares land borders with Russland, Corelia, Hypathia, and Carthage. With 53,464,700 inhabitants, Oyra is the fourth-most populous member state of the Anglician Union. Due to its central geographic location in the Inistaran Peninsula and the Iolian, Oyra has historically been home to myriad peoples and cultures. In addition to the various ancient peoples dispersed throughout what is now modern-day Oyra, the most predominant being the Anglo Inistaric peoples who gave the peninsula its name, beginning from the classical era, Latins and Carthaginians founded colonies mostly in east Oyra, Romans established settlements in the so-called Magna Oyraria of east Oyra, while Corels and Celts inhabited the rest of Oyra. An Inistaric tribe known as the Corels formed the Corelian Kingdom in the year 2298 which eventually became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People. The Corelian Republic initially conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the Inistaran peninsula, with the notable exception of Carthage, eventually expanding and conquering parts of Grio. By the 22nd century the Corelian Empire emerged as the dominant power on the Inistaran Peninsula (again, with exception of Carthage), however the unrest by the Oyran and Hypathian Tribes began to destabilize the empire. In the year 2453 the Oyran and Hypathian peoples staged a coup and killed their Corelian provincial governors, and became two new independent kingdoms. During the Early Middle Ages, Oyra suffered barbarian invasions, but by the 41st century, numerous rival kingdoms and maritime republics, mainly in the southern and central regions of Grio, began to chip away at Oyra's territory. During the Middle Ages, Oyra conquered the Kingdom of Vovograd. In 4319 the Kingdom of Ruskovia attacked the Oyran province of Vovograd and succesfully captured the province unifying into the Kingdom of Russland. By the mid-49th century, the Kingdom of Oyra was a powerhouse and on of the three main kingdoms of the Inistaran Peninsula, in 4882 Oyra joined their ally Grio in The First Anglician War, when the war ended in 4885 Oyra was part of the winning side and annexed territory in southern Russland. In later wars Oyra has been a leader of technological advances. Today, Oyra is considered to be one of the world's most culturally and economically advanced countries, with its economy ranking eighth-largest in the world and third in the Anglician Union by nominal GDP. Oyra has the sixth-largest worldwide national wealth, the third-largest central bank gold reserve, and a very high life expectancy. The country played prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs; it is both a regional power and a great power, and is ranked the world's eighth most-powerful military. Oyra is a founding and leading member of the Anglician Union and a member of numerous international institutions, including the UN, ENRO (It's HQ in the city of Anaville), the OSCA, the WTO, the G7, the G20, the Union for the Iolian, the Council of Anglicia, Uniting for Consensus, the Anton Area and many more. The country has greatly influenced and contributed to diverse fields, notably the arts, music, literature, philosophy, science and technology, fashion, cinema, cuisine, sports, as well as jurisprudence, banking and business. As a reflection of its cultural wealth, Oyra is home to the world's largest number of World Heritage Sites (45), and is the eighth-most visited country. Etymology The name Oyra comes from the ancient Roman name, Magna Oyraria meaning Land of Hills. The land was given it's name in 1572, by General Optius of Roma History Prehistory & Antiquity Thousands of Paleolithic-era artifacts have been recovered from Monte Emmanuele and dated to around 850,000 years before the present, making them the oldest evidence of first hominins habitation in the peninsula. Excavations throughout Oyra revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period some 200,000 years ago, while modern Humans appeared about 40,000 years ago at Riparo Mochi. Archaeological sites from this period include Addaura cave, Altamura, Ceprano, and Gravina in Puglia. The Ancient peoples of pre-Roman Oyra – such as the Oyricia (in which the Oyrans emerged), Umbrians, Volsci, Oscans, Samnites, Sabines, the Celts, the Ligures, the Veneti and many others – were Anglo peoples, most of them specifically of the Inistaric group. The first foreign colonizers were the Hellenicians, who initially established colonies and founded various emporiums on the coasts of Russland and Oyra. Some of these soon became small urban centres and were developed parallel to the Roman colonies; among the main centres there were the cities of Motya, Zyz (modern Palermo), Soluntum, Nora, Sulci, and Tharros. Between the 14th and the 18th centuries Hellenicians established contacts with Oyra and in the 20th and 21st centuries a number of Hellenician & Roman colonies were established all along the coast of Oyra and the southern part of the Inistaran Peninsula, that became known as Magna Oyraria. The Hellenician colonization placed the Inistaric peoples in contact with democratic government forms and with elevated artistic and cultural expressions. The Corelian Empire The Corels, a tribe located in the west part of the Inistaran Peninsula conquered all of the Inistaran Peninsula, except Carthage, in 2331. Under the Corelians the Oyrans were moved throughout the Inistaran peninsula, and sold through slavery and servitude. The Oyrans were opressed and abused, they lived in small cramped spaces known as lointes. In 2355, Oyra was made a province and the governor was Hilias Cerica, he was a ruthless governor. Cerica killed over 200 Oyrans by hunting them down himself. When Cerica was assassinated in 2367, by the Corelian government (They thought if Cerica was too ruthless the Oyrans would be driven to revolution, which eventually they would). Afterwards, the new governor, a man named Pious Clovius. Clovius passed reforms allowing more freedom for Oyrans. Clovius also made the lointes much more livable. When Clovius retired in 2381, he decided to relocate to Orvanca, the largest lointe in the province. The next three governors, Marton Octavi (2381 - 2399), Justinian Byerius (2399-2412), and Julius Orinius (2412-2451), all followed in Clovius' footsteps. In 2451, Orinius' succesor, Ivanian Vologria took the place as governor. Vologria unraveled all of the reforms made by Clovius. Vologria burned down most of Orvanca, and massacred 3,300 Oyrans. Vologria's soldiers burned down houses and raped women. General Ilias Chiradeil, one of Vologria's best men, was killed. Afterwards, in 2453, Vologria was murdered by the Oyrans, who then declared independence, and helped Hypathia, their neighbor to the south, revolt and Hypathia declared independence as well. Middle Ages After declaring independence in 2453, the Kingdom of Oyra proclaimed Pious Leonis the new king naming him King Pious of House Leonis. King Pious established the city of Orvanca as Oyra's capital. Orvanca transformed from a lointe of mostly burned down houses, to a shining city by the 30th Century. Oyra became a wealthy kingdom and traded with Aegyptia and Corlais. By the 36th century, Oyra had plunged into a dark age, much like the rest of the continent. The Kingdom of Hypathia split into 24 separate states. Corelia then split into two, the Kingdom of Glaska and the Kingdom of Essexia. Carthage overthrew their king who was exiled to Roma, Carthage then collapsed. Oyra struggled to keep its territory from invading Vovogradan peoples. However, by the 40th century, the king of Carthage returned to Alibya, the capital of Carthage. In Corelia, Essexia & Glaska's monarchs married each other and unified the Kingdoms. In Hypathia, the duchy of Pyrenia, conquered the other 23 kingdoms and unified Hypathia. In 4156, King Orvano IV conquered the Kingdom of Vovograd in southern Russland. King Orvano treated the Vovogradans fairly, allowing them to own property and hold public office. However, the Vovogradans had to pay four times more taxes than Oyrans. The Vovogradan king was made the governor of the new Vovogradan province. In 4319 the Kingdom of Ruskovia, at that time under Tsar Alexander IV, they invaded Vovograd. At the Battle of the Muscovy, the Oyran forces were defeated, and their top general, Jonus Clavor was taken prisoner. Early Modern In 4417, new trade routes opened up with Genbali & Tianxia, giving new goods such as tea and silver. Oyra became even wealthier by the 46th century. Orvanca grew and became a city of over 1.3 million people. The Royal Palace was a brilliant structure with vast courtyards and statues of gold & silver. In 4614, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake hit Orvanca, a destroyed many parts of the city, and killed the monarch Queen Ana, leaving her 17 year-old son to take the throne. This was one of the first signs that Orvanca was a vulnerable city. In 4667, the Kingdom of Grio attacked Orvanca and burned the city. Grio eventually was defeated however the damage give to Orvanca were heavy. In 4701, Queen Ana II, moved the capital of Oyra from Orvanca to the city of Frianzi, renaming it Anaville. Anaville was a small city located on the wide Leonis River, which ended in Orvanca. By 4732, the city of Anaville had over 900,000 people. The royal palace was constructed on the banks of the river. Anaville became a shining city alike Orvanca. Queen Ana then conquered the entire Leonis Mountain range, and established alliances with Corinth and Celestia.